Childish
by ifdragonscouldtalk
Summary: Tony didn't mean to make a mess of things, usually. This time he'd really stuck his foot in it. When Tony is targeted and turned into a kid with no apparent reason and no way to turn back, the Avengers are stuck looking after the eccentric child genius. Struggles and sweetness ensue. Updates once a month. Prompts welcome. Rated T for language and violence. Also on ao3.


Summary: Tony didn't mean to make a mess of things, usually. This time he'd really stuck his foot in it. When Tony is targeted and turned into a kid with no apparent reason and no way to turn back, the Avengers are stuck looking after the eccentric child genius. Struggles and sweetness ensue. Updates once a month. Prompts welcome. Rated T for language and violence. Also on ao3.

**Talon's back, back again, and sooner than she expected to be! I really hope you enjoy this first chapter and look forward to the rewrites of the rest. I really enjoyed writing this chapter and it ended up far longer than I planned on it being. I had forgotten how much I loved writing Childish when I first started in 2016.**  
**I really am going to try and update once a month, but follow my tumblr for to keep up to date!**

"Check in," Steve panted as his shield bounced back to him, quickly counting the dwindling number of enemies that darted through the trees, wiping sweat and grime from his forehead.

"Good here. Almost finished up," Natasha sounded off, grunting quietly as she drove her widow bites into the head of one of the robots. They were crawling all over the forest, and the Avengers had been dispatched to find out what they were protecting, officially requested by the government of Canada to exterminate the vermin as they became increasingly dangerous to Canadian citizens.

"I count around twenty hostiles left," Clint added, his voice assurance enough of his relative safety, as an arrow whipped past Steve's cheek and sent another robot stumbling enough for him to crush the shield into its chassis. He shot a grin in the direction the arrow flew from before turning back to the combat.

"Scans confirm Clint's count, only 23 robots left," Bruce said, the clacking of his fingers on the keyboard audible over the comm-link. He was still in the jet, Hulk having been determined unnecessary at the beginning of battle.

"Names," Steve sighed, a gentle reminder that they were supposed to use their code names on missions. The others didn't seem to mind as much as he did, perhaps because he was such a military man and the threat of communications being intercepted had always been an overhanging threat during the war. He could practically feel the others rolling their eyes.

"I'm doing fine here," Thor rang off, grinning as he swung Mjolnir like a baseball bat at one robot's head, knocking it clear off for it to land at Clint's feet. Clint shrieked and jumped back, throwing him a deathly glare.

"Watch your aim, dude!"

"Apologies."

"Chatter!" Steve warned, and he felt more eyerolls. "Iron Man, status?" There was silence over the comms as they waited for Tony to spout off some trademark snark, but no response was forthcoming. "Iron Man," Steve said more forcefully, worry starting to take him full force as he tried to remember when the last time he had heard Tony over the comms in the heat of battle. It was impossible not to know whether Tony was alright when they were fighting, as he seemed incapable of not keeping up a stream of constant chatter, whether about some aspect of the enemy or mutterings on the calculations JARVIS had just returned to him.

"I last saw him heading west, further into the forest," Clint provided after a few more seconds of silence, his worry clear in his tone. "He was following a couple stragglers, said something about wanting to see if they'd lead him to what they were guarding."

"He went on his own?"

"He did ask for backup, but we were all occupied," Natasha said with a grunt, shoving the lifeless chassis of a robot off her and leaping back to her feet. "Bruce offered to go with, but he said it was probably nothing."

"Shit!"

"Hold on," Bruce said, worry thick in his voice, "I'm getting readings popping up 200 yards west. Looks like about thirty hostiles - either they were cloaked or just activated."

"West is where Iron Man went," Thor said unhelpfully, and Steve felt cold fear in his chest, his fist completely crumpling a robot's face in.

"Iron Man, report!" he barked again, snarling when there was no reply. "Iron Man! _ Tony! _" There was a collective breath of relief as a small groan echoed over the comms, clearly Tony's voice. "Tony! Tony, answer me!"

"Cap? Oh fuck." Tony's voice was laced with pain, his tongue thick in his mouth. Thor dispatched the last robot and the four stood looking at each other for a moment, heaving in air, before turning and taking off toward the west. "God, I... I was hit with something. I don't know what, it came out of nowhere... J, buddy, you with me?"

"_I am e-Ee-eXperienc-I-I-Ing some d-dIIIIIIIfficulty, sir,_" JARVIS stuttered over the comms, his crisp voice broken by static. "_Aaaaarmor functI-EEEE-ons are d-down. ImmeeeEEEdiate removal is s-s-SUggested, as air filtering is o-o-OOOOff._"

"Right," Tony breathed, clearly bottling away the pain. "Fucking miracle the comms and you are still working though, right J?"

"_Theeeeee new failsafes you inst-t-talled seem to have wo-o-OOOOrked, sir._"

"Tony, we're headed to your assumed position now, are you in a secure location? Are you safe?"

"No clue, Cap. The HUD is down, I'm flying blind here. Or, I would be flying, if the repulsors were working. I'm stuck in a dead suit."

"How bad are you hurt?" Natasha asked, her voice crisp with worry.

"I'm a little banged up, think I broke my arm and got a pretty bad concussion but- Are you guys already here?"

"We're on route, Iron Man, stay with us. What's happening?"

"I've got hostile movement guys!" Bruce said, his voice thick with panic. "They're headed your way!"

"Someone's trying to remove the suit, they're- they're cutting through my suit! _ They're cutting up my suit!_" Tony's voice abruptly changed from panic to anger as his precious armor was damaged. The others could hear the metallic screeching of metal sawing through metal. "They're cutting through my suit _ with me in it!_"

"_Sir, eemergency prOOOOOjection protocols have reeEEEebooted,_" JARVIS said as their breaths were stolen in panic, and then another wave of robots was upon them. The fight was vicious - one of their own was in danger, now, and nothing would stop them from getting to him.

"Engage, J!"

There was a pop and a rush of air in their ears, and they could all imagine Tony being launched out of the top of the armor, having seen the projection protocol a few times before. Another rush of air filled the comms as Tony whumped into a wall, wheezing for breath after the air was forced out of his lungs. "Jesus Christ!"

"Iron Man!" Steve barked, a plea and an order.

"Hostiles, at least ten! I'm fucked, guys, I'm well and truly fucked, they're all staring right at me. I think I cracked a rib." He let out a soft groan, letting his head rock back into the wall, biting his lip. "I'm not really in any position to fight them."

"We're fifty yards from your position. Can you get out?"

"Hold on, wait. It's... talking." The others strained to hear what Tony was referring too until Bruce isolated the sound and upped the volume in their ears, Tony's hitching breaths also echoing too loud.

"_You have been chosen._"

"You have been chosen? What the fuck is that?" Clint scoffed angrily.

"I don't know. It just keeps repeating it," Tony replied as he stumbled to his feet, grunting and leaning against the wall. "Hey, no, stay back!"

"_You have been chosen for an experiment. Please do not be alarmed. This will only hurt immensely._"

"Well that's just damn reassuring now, isn't it! I didn't sign any insurance waivers, you know." Tony stumbled away from the robot as it advanced on him, a needle emerging from one finger, grunting as his movement jostled what felt like a cracked rib and a broken arm.

"Tony, get out of there!" Steve snarled, voice angry in fear as they viciously tore into the enemies. They could hear Bruce breathing hard as he attempted to keep himself under control.

"Doing my best, Cap," Tony replied breathlessly, yelping as one of the other robots grabbed him by the back of the neck, holding him still. "No no no, I really do not want that. Has this been FDA approved? Don't you need me to sign a consent form somewhere? Hey, get that thing away from me- hey!"

Tony was helpless to resist as two 'bots held him immobile, tilting his neck to reveal his carotid and allow the third to slowly empty whatever vile concoction it wanted into him through the hypodermic needle in its finger. He was helpless to respond to the shouts of the others as the drug burned cold through his system, making him gasp and shudder and making his knees turn to jello. Helpless to resist as the robots dropped him unceremoniously to crumple in a heap on the dirty floor and turned to leave, maybe to join the fight that was quickly wearing out his friends.

Helpless to do anything but scream as pain consumed him entirely, arching and clawing at anything within reach, writhing on the filthy floor of an abandoned hut somewhere in Canada.

Steve snarled in rage as Tony's scream pierced the communications, feedback making them flinch. They could hear Bruce shout and shut off the comm-link as he fought to keep himself under control, knowing he might be needed soon as Dr. Banner and not the Hulk. "What did you do to him?" Steve hissed to one of the robots, and received no reply. Screams died into panting breaths and morphed into weak sobs as they fought viciously to end the battle and find their ailing teammate, only vague satisfaction filling them as the head of the last robot exploded from one of Clint's arrows. They turned to the worn hut standing twenty yards away, taking off full-tilt to where they knew their friend needed aid.

Clint, surprisingly, got there first. The door was hanging open on its hinges, and be burst in, bow up as he searched the room quickly. "Clear," he called back to the others as they followed him through the doorway. "Tony?"

"Oh my God," Natasha breathed, spotting the mutilated suit first, as well as the droplets of blood which had splattered on the far wall across from it where Tony had been ejected. "Oh my _ God _," she breathed again as her eyes trailed across to the other corner, where a little boy lay huddled in on himself, drowned in clothes that were much too big for him and stained with blood and dirt, a soft glow emanating from behind where he clutched his knees to his chest. "Oh God, Tony?" The sobs tapered off, quiet, and the boy looked up slowly, his eyes confused and fearful. "Tony, do you know who I am?"

"Do you th-think I'm a fucking idiot, Natasha?" Tony answered, but his voice held no bite. "Please, just... can we get out of here?"


End file.
